Revisiting Deuteronomy pt. 2

In the first post of this series, Deuteronomy 6:5-6 reminded believers that God wants all our heart, soul, and might. This command needs to be the center of our heart, the center of all we do and say. With this post, I want to better understand why.

You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. Deut. 6:7-8

God’s desire is for us to pass on our passion for Him.

These verses remind believers of at least 4 reasons why God wants all of us focused on Him.

1. What
The reason God needs all of us is because of the mission He has for all believers (especially parents) which is to teach the world about Him. God transforms hearts in order to use them to bring more people to Himself.

2. How
How are we to teach? Diligently. Our teaching should be consistent in its effort to connect those we teach with the God of our heart. This takes planning and preparation.

3. Who
Who should we be diligently teaching? It should start at home with our own children. This is primarily a call to parents (but not only … see future post on verse 4). Why? Because, as parents you are with them whether at home or away, when they go to bed and when they rise. Parents have the most influence on their kids because they have the most available time with them. The question is, how are parents spending that time?

4. When
As mentioned above, the kind of teaching that Christians need to be involved in is a 24/7, 365 kind of thing. God transforms our hearts for the everyday, not just for Sunday. We need to be ready, at any time, in any circumstance to give reasons (or “a defense”) for the hope that we have (1 Peter 3:15).

What this doesn’t mean:

1. Parents are the only “disciple makers” of their children.
2. A parent’s ministry is only at home.
3. The child/student is the focus.

What this does mean:

1. Parents need to be “primary” disciple makers of their children.
2. When God is not the focus of the everyday, at best, our teaching becomes the passing on of knowledge.
3. Teaching (and parenting) takes preparation.